MEXICO CITY, April 28 (Reuters) - Mexican cement maker

Cemex reported an 18% dip in its core earnings for the first

quarter on Monday, driven largely by headwinds in the local

market.

Cemex reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation

and amortization of $601 million, in line with estimates, due to

a weaker peso currency and a dip in volumes at home, it said in

a filing.

The peso caused a $65 million hit to EBITDA, Cemex said,

while volumes dropped in Mexico due to a rush last year to

finish government infrastructure projects before presidential

elections.

The firm expects its full-year EBITDA to come in upward of

$3 billion, and held that forecast on Monday.

The U.S. was Cemex's largest market by sales in the first

quarter - followed by Europe, the Middle East and Africa - and

then Mexico.

Total sales slipped 7% to $3.65 billion, also in line with

the LSEG-compiled estimate, as higher prices failed to fully

offset lower volumes.

Cement and ready-mix volumes ticked up slightly, though

aggregates came down 4%, Cemex said.

The results come after Cemex's long-time CEO Fernando

Gonzalez retired at the beginning of this month, with Cemex USA

head Jaime Muguiro replacing him.

The firm has shifted its focus in recent years toward the

U.S., selling off non-core businesses including in Guatemala,

the Philippines and the Dominican Republic. In February,

Bloomberg News reported that Cemex was gauging interest for a

potential sale of its Colombia unit.

Cemex said on Monday it was still eying small- to mid-size

acquisitions in the United States.

In the quarter, Cemex's net profit nearly tripled to $734

million, boosted by the Dominican Republic sale. According to

Cemex, $618 million of its net profit in the quarter came from

discontinued operations.